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On Monday evening, Luxembourg joined several major powers, including France, the UK, and Belgium, in recognising Palestine, a move aimed at reviving negotiations and increasing pressure on Israel.
Ahead of Tuesday's UN General Debate in New York, heads of state and government exchanged views on the two-state solution between Israel and Palestine, at a conference jointly led by France and Saudi Arabia.
The gathering was intended to give fresh momentum to negotiations between the two sides, with the focus on Palestine's international recognition by an increasing number of countries.
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Major powers take the step
The Palestinian delegation gave a standing ovation to French President Emmanuel Macron. Alongside France, Belgium, New Zealand, and Luxembourg also recognised the Palestinian state on Monday. Over the weekend, the first major economic powers, in this case the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, had already taken the step.
The aim is to build pressure for renewed international negotiations. Macron stressed that world leaders carry a historic responsibility in this regard.
While more than 150 of the UN's 193 member states have already recognised Palestine, the decision of several key global actors, traditionally among Israel's closer partners, could increase the pressure on Tel Aviv.
With the UK, France, China, and Russia, four of the five permanent UN Security Council members with veto powers have now recognised Palestine. The United States, like Israel, boycotted the conference on the two-state solution. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is due to address the General Assembly on Friday.
Read PM Luc Frieden's United Nations speech here.
